THE WARRING STATES PERIOD—THE STATE OF QIN, YAN, CHU, AND PAZYRYK: A HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE

1991 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 25-29
Author(s):  
Annette L. Juliano
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Warring States Period ◽  
Warring States

The Warring States Period: Historical Background

2020 ◽  
pp. 579-594
Author(s):  
Yuri Pines
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Third Century ◽  
Warring States Period ◽  
Territorial Expansion ◽  
Warring States ◽  
The Third ◽  
History Of ◽  
Subsequent Rise ◽  
Inter State

This chapter starts with introducing major textual, archeological, and paleographical sources for the history of the Warring States period. It then focuses on the inter-state dynamics following the de facto dissolution of the state of Jin in 453 bce and up to the Qin unification of 221 bce. In particular, the chapter explores the rise and fall of the state of Wei as the major hegemonic power in the end of the fifth and the first half of the fourth centuries bce; the subsequent rise of Qin and attempts to block it through formation of anti-Qin alliances; and, finally, the collapse of these alliances and the acceleration of Qin’s territorial expansion in the third century bce.

The shi, diplomats, and urban expansion during the Warring States Period

2020 ◽  
pp. 656-671
Author(s):  
Andrew Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
The State ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Warring States Period ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Warring States ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Economic Specialization

The shi, or “knights,” were not a coherent class during the Warring States period, though figures identified as such were central to the social, political, and cultural dynamism of the era. As the fragmentary states of the early Zhou era politically consolidated, the nature of the aristocracy changed. The aristocracy bifurcated into a steeply divergent populace of “kings” and their kin at the top and the mass of undifferentiated knights far below. Although not exactly a period of shi ascendancy, it was, at the individual level, a time of very fluid social mobility. State governments grew in power to the point of being able to determine the power and status even of hereditary aristocrats. All social positions became gauged in relation to their utility for the state. Low-born knights could rise to positions of high power and status through meritorious service to the state. Diplomacy became a field in which talents for strategy or rhetoric could earn great merit. Some of the most influential figures of the Warring States were humble knights that distinguished themselves as diplomats. Social fluidity was likewise embodied in urbanization. As the Warring States saw rapid population growth, technological advancement, and economic specialization cities grew in size and changed in character. Where they had once been principally military and cult centers, they evolved into centers of commerce and manufacturing in which new communities and social institutions took shape.

Institutional reforms and reformers during the Warring States Period

2020 ◽  
pp. 614-622
Author(s):  
Yuri Pines
Keyword(s):  
Social System ◽  
The State ◽  
Warring States Period ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Grain Yields ◽  
Warring States ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Economic Advancement

This chapter explores the transformation of the Warring States–period polities from loose aristocratic entities into centralized bureaucratic states. It focuses primarily on the reforms in the state of Qin associated with Shang Yang and his followers. The reforms resulted in the formation of an assertive agro-managerial state, able to mobilize its population to agriculture and warfare. Shang Yang overhauled Qin’s social system, replacing the pedigree-based order with the system of the ranks of merit, which allowed sociopolitical and economic advancement to individuals who excelled on the battlefield or in increasing their grain yields. The accompanying centralization and profound bureaucratization of Qin’s society had dramatically improved the state’s control over its human and material resources. The newly emerging assertive and all-reaching state allowed Qin to successfully subjugate its rivals. In the long term, however, an excessively activist state proved to be a liability once imperial unification was achieved.

Study of Colored Lacquerwares from Zenghou Yi Tomb in early Warring States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Wu ◽  
Yunfan Zhang ◽  
Bingjian Zhang ◽  
Lan Li
Keyword(s):  
Warring States Period ◽  
Warring States

Zenghou Yi Tomb (433 B.C) in the early Warring States Period of China is a very important archaeological discovery. Lots of lacquerware was unearthed here, typically representative of that from...

Nondestructive Analysis of Dragonfly Eye Beads from the Warring States Period, Excavated from a Chu Tomb at the Shenmingpu Site, Henan Province, China

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yimin Yang ◽  
Lihua Wang ◽  
Shuya Wei ◽  
Guoding Song ◽  
Jonathan Mark Kenoyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inner Core ◽  
Nondestructive Method ◽  
Henan Province ◽  
Manufacturing Technology ◽  
Warring States Period ◽  
Warring States ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Mold Casting ◽  
Warring State Period ◽  
Manufacturing Features

AbstractDragonfly eye beads are considered to be the earliest types of glass objects in China, and in the past have been considered as evidence of culture interaction or trade between West and East Asia. In this article, synchrotron radiation microcomputed tomography and μ-probe energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence were used to determine the chemical composition, microstructure, and manufacturing technology of four dragonfly eye beads, excavated from a Chu tomb at the Shenmingpu site, Henan Province, China, dated stylistically to the Middle and Late Warring State Period (475 bc–221 bc). First, a nondestructive method was used to differentiate the material types including faience (glazed quartz), frit, glazed pottery (clay ceramic), and glass. Three beads were identified as faience and one bead as glazed pottery. The glaze recipe includes quartz, saltpeter, plant ash, and various copper, and is classified as belonging to the K2O-CaO-SiO2 glass system, which indicates that these beads were not imported from the West. Based on computed tomography slices, the manufacturing technology of the faience eye beads appears to include the use of an inner core, molding technology, and the direct application glazing method. These manufacturing features are consistent with the techniques used in China during this same time period for bronze mold-casting, proto-porcelain, and glass.

Worth Vs. Power: Han Fei’s “Objection to Positional Power” Revisited

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Pines
Keyword(s):  
Political Thought ◽  
Warring States Period ◽  
Warring States ◽  
Political Debates ◽  
Han Feizi ◽  
Positional Power ◽  
Political Message ◽  
Chinese Political Thought

AbstractThis article discusses the chapter “Objection to Positional Power” (Nan shi 難勢) of Han Feizi 韓非子. It provides a full translation cum analysis of the text and explores systematically the chapter’s structure, rhetoric, and its political message. The discussion, which contextualizes the chapter’s message within broader trends of the Warring States-period political debates, demonstrates that beneath the surface of debates about “positional power” (shi 勢) versus “worth” (xian 賢), the chapter addresses one of the touchiest issues in Chinese political thought: that of the intrinsic weakness of hereditary monarchy. Furthermore, “Objection to Positional Power” also addresses problems of the meritocratic system of rule and elucidates some of the reasons for Han Fei’s dislike of meritocratic discourse. By highlighting some of the chapter’s intellectual gems I hope to attract further attention to the immense richness of Han Feizi as one of the most sophisticated products of China’s political thought.

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